Pork Tenderloin & Cajun Slaw

It’s been a rough week, food-wise.

First, there was Valentine’s Day. We got four (!!!) boxes of donuts at work, tons of sweets and candies, and about two dozen cookies. Can you walk by a table full of that stuff and NOT grab something? I think not.

Then, Rob & I went to dinner for out V-Day on Friday. Steak, baked potato, and several tortilla chips and salsa later–I’m stuffed. Then, last night, in a fit of pizza craving, I ate several garlic knots and a slice of mushroom pizza from our favorite place, Empire.

So the whole keto thing? Definitely thrown out of whack the last several days. Tons of sugar, tons of carbs, and although it was all incredibly delicious—it was probably not worth it. I totally feel like poop now!

I’ll be meal-prepping for the week today and it’s all keto foods again. No carbs, no sugar, and no late night pizza snacks. Such is life.

Even though I busted my diet on the later portion of the week, I still had several keto meals early in the week, this one included. Pork tenderloin is my favorite cut of pork because it’s so easy to cook and so tender (hence the name, duh). Plus, it takes seasoning extremely well and you can practically season it with whatever you want.

I went with a Cajun theme for this meal. Cajun seasoning, creole mustard, bell peppers—my version of the Cajun trinity. I love everything that New Orleans has to offer the food world, and Cajun seasoning is one of those. It’s savory, spicy, and flavors everything perfectly.

The tenderoin is easy to make, but also easy to overcook, so you need to watch out for that. 145 degrees is the best temperature to cook pork to—and don’t forget—meat rises about 10 degrees while resting. If you overcook the pork, you’ll end up with a dry, chewy meat. Nobody wants that.

It’s okay if the pork is a little pink, or when you cut it some pink juices come out. That’s a-okay! Again, overcooked pork is the worst—you want to do everything you can to make sure you don’t overdo it.

The Cajun slaw for this recipe was my favorite part. This is a full-on tangy slaw, which is my favorite. The creole mustard with the bell peppers and green onions was just everything I needed and more. There were a few times where I just ate the slaw by itself for lunch, it was that good.

Enjoy this Cajun meal!

Step-By-Step Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, stir together Cajun seasoning and brown sugar/sweetener. Rub all over pork tenderloin along with salt and pepper. In an oven-proof skillet (like a cast-iron), heat oil over medium-high heat.

Sear pork on all sides until browned, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer pork to oven and roast, uncovered, for about 18 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees.

Transfer to a cutting board to rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing.

Make the slaw: whisk together mayo, mustard, and lemon juice.

Toss with slaw mix, bell peppers, and green onions. Serve slaw alongside pork.